A Fort Worth firefighter has passed away.
Steven Turpin of the Fort Worth Fire Department died earlier this week. He was not on duty, and his cause of death has yet to be revealed.
The department shared the news of his passing in a statement posted to Facebook.
“The Fort Worth Fire Department is saddened by the loss of Firefighter Steven Turpin,” the statement said. “Firefighter Turpin unexpectedly passed away last night while off duty.”
“He served the City of Fort Worth for 24+ years,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
The department’s public information office told The Dallas Express that “everything, as of right now, is still being looked into” in regard to Turpin’s cause of death.
“We also do not have any details just yet in regards to the funeral,” the email said. “That is also still in the planning phase.”
While no information has been revealed indicating that Turpin’s cause of death was linked to his occupation, data shows that firefighters have a much higher risk of dying from cancer.
The leading cause of death for firefighters is occupational cancer, according to the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).
Last year, The Dallas Express reported on multiple Fort Worth firefighters who passed away from cancer. Firefighter G. Wade Cannon passed away from occupational colon cancer in October at the age of 33.
In September, the department lost firefighter David Greene, 59, to occupational brain cancer.
“Once again, our hearts are broken as the Fort Worth Fire Department has endured the loss of a firefighter to cancer,” Fire Chief Jim Davis said at the time.
The IAFF reports that cancer was the cause of almost 75% of line-of-duty deaths among firefighters in 2022.
“We’re seeing firefighters diagnosed very, very young with very rare cancers,” said Scott Jennie, director of internal training for the Fire Fighter Cancer Support Network (FFCSN), per CBS News.
Research conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has shown that the chemicals firefighters are exposed to on the job directly lead to a 9% higher likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% greater risk of cancer claiming one’s life.